Matthew 5:4
"Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted."
We were discussing what it means to be blessed. Does our expectation meet up with reality? As we continue looking at the Beatitudes, we see from the passage above that Jesus is addressing those who mourn. Remember, I have said that everything in scripture is about relationships. The Sermon on the Mount where we find the Beatitudes is about our relationship with Jesus as citizens of His Kingdom, so why does He address grief or mourning? One aspect is that all of us grieve at some point; it is a common part of the human condition to experience loss. In so doing, if what we lost is precious (my precious...yep, Gollum reference), we grieve or mourn over it. Of course it is reassuring to know that there is comfort and consolation in the midst of loss. However, I see here something deeper than the general sense of grief, especially in the context of being a citizen of God's Kingdom and someone who has a relationship with Jesus.
When we examine our lives in comparison to Who Christ is and what He expects of us I feel firmly that we will recognize our shortcomings and that we should regret them. We need a healthy awareness of self and our own shortcomings to experience spiritual growth. This is not a popular perspective but I believe it is the Biblical one. You see, it is through recognizing our sin and shortcomings we can do something about it and thus maintain a healthy relationship with Jesus and grow spiritually, be more emotionally healthy, and thus have greater fulfillment and peace on our journey of life. It is only through dealing with our sin and shortcomings in comparison with Christ that we can grow beyond them and find forgiveness and where we need healing. 1 John 1:9 says; " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." To "confess" here literally means to come into agreement with someone, so when we agree with God about our sin and that we need to change our conduct, attitude, way of thinking about something, disobedience - whatever it may be, we then grow beyond our sin by living in forgiveness, experiencing His blessings.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5; " "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." So, as we agree with God about our sin and make the changes we need to make, we have forgiveness through His grace and are comforted. Knowing that I can have God's forgiveness and experience comfort gives me the reassurance to know that a healthy life-changing relationship with a living, loving, all-powerful God is possible. Then, from a healthy position I am able to offer comfort and to share the promise of reassurance with others. (Isn't it amazing to know that God chooses to let us be a part of what He is doing? WOW)
In 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Paul says; "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work." So, I believe that God does grant us comfort during times of emotional distress as a result of loss. But I also know that when I am grieved over those things that have hindered my relationship with Him, and approach Him with humble regret, He guides, forgives, comforts and points me in the right direction. This is the essence of repentance: to pursue His path and not my own. Through faith in Jesus we can all overcome regret with reassurance.